Are buying drink casks worth it? Or will everybody drink my brews?

[Signal]

Subject is pretty much the question. I like to try and cram as many objects into my heroes rooms' as I can that will give them a lasting positive moodlet. So far I've become fond of mirrors, tubs, expensive beds, and of course stuff to cook with.

I realize that casks that you can brew drinks in give you positive moodlets but given how people like to just barge into your hero's house all the time and run around using everything in there, I was paranoid that if I brewed expensive drinks in a cask then random sims would just help themselves to a drink all the darn time. I haven't tested this yet, but I know this is the case in the Monarch's castle - whatever drinks I brewed in the banquet hall everybody else quickly slurped up. Drinks near the monarch's bedchamber don't last long, either.

Hmmm... here's an idea: Maybe if I immediately poured the entire contents into 3 pitchers and dropped them into a larder, they'd be worth it? Since nobody seems to touch anything sitting inside a larder.

[Jonna]

No one ever seems to go to the spy's living quarters, so maybe it would be worth it there.  I do usually put the three pitchers in my sim's inventory right after brewing.  You have to be on your own lot in order to set them down for your sim to take a drink, but you might find that better than spending $50 or $60 plus items per drink.  Your bard can drink downstairs for free, you just have to let someone else brew it.

[Joria]

I put a cask in my bard's room.  MISTAKE!  Everyone trooped upstairs for free booze and he got no rest.  It was as bad as at the castle.

However, my merchant has a cask right out front and the only time anyone other than herself drinks from it is if I tell them to.  My knight has several casks, (I figured he'd supply the troops), but he's the only one who taps them.  Haven't tried the churches yet.  Oh, when I had one in the smithy people helped themselves but not to excess the way they do at the castle.

I usually put a pitcher in my inventory and also one in the larder just in case.  If my Sim takes it out of inventory and puts it down on a table ANYWHERE, others feel free to share.  So the pitcher in inventory is only so-so for convenience.

[Slingsby]

I've just put a cask in our Jacoban priest's bedroom, as he has the drunkard flaw and that's an easy way of buffing him.  However, his Acolyte/Assistant is also a drunkard: I'll try to watch and see if she helps herself!

[MrGabic]

Your bard can drink downstairs for free, you just have to let someone else brew it.

Actually everybody can brew for free in the 2 tavern casks but when you get a drink will cost you $6 or $8 I don't really remember. If that's the case for you guys too I think only if you are passing by the tavern you should get 2 drinks for +20buff tipsy or you could even try your luck for 3 drinks and if you are a happy drunk you get a +30buff if not then you are a sad drunk and you get -20 if I remember correctly. Anyway you should just have 2 drinks when you get by the tavern or when you really need focus and don't know where to get it and brewing in a crowded place surely it isn't worth it only if you have $10 000 or something 

[Schipperke]

Actually everybody can brew for free in the 2 tavern casks but when you get a drink will cost you $6 or $8 I don't really remember.

Are you sure about the brewing being free in the tavern?  It's a while since I've done that, but I'm sure it cost the usual $50.  Individual drinks are $7, but the barmaid often fills pitchers and puts them on the table, and it's easy to just drag the pitcher into your drunk's inventory for future use.  I play a lot of drunks, and most of them just help themselves to pitchers from the tavern.  The odd time they brew at home, I immediately have them decant it into pitchers and stick them in the inventory to keep the townies from stealing it all. 

[Metropolis Man]

Are you sure about the brewing being free in the tavern?

I just finished up playing the Bard for a Guide article and it does appear that drinks are always available at the casks in the Tavern. Maybe that's something the bar maid does since that NPC comes with the Tavern — she just might restock the casks when needed.

[MrGabic]

I just finished up playing the Bard for a Guide article and it does appear that drinks are always available at the casks in the Tavern. Maybe that's something the bar maid does since that NPC comes with the Tavern — she just might restock the casks when needed.

Exactly so you just have to pay for one or two drinks in the tavern 

[Katluvr]

I put a cask near the bottom of the stairs in my blacksmith shop, primarily to keep as many people in there and away from blocking the stall as possible.  I can confirm that other people will take drinks from your cask - very often my smith only gets 1 drink out of a batch of ale or wine - so in high traffic areas if money is an issue it is best to put the pitcher in your inventory or larder.  I've never had anyone else brew a batch in any cask I've placed.

[Joria]

Right, katluvr.  They guzzle the stuff down but don't fill it back up again.  My monarch is pretty rich so she randomly goes and fills all the casks in the castle, and there are a lot of them now!  One thing I've learned is don't put casks in certain bedrooms or there will be a steady flow of traffic.

[Slingsby]

I wonder whether a cask of wine would encourage people to go to the Jacoban Cathedral?

Today I only had one person help himself to a drink from my Priest's cask, and as he was Quest-related I'm not sure whether he was behaving like a normal NPC.

[StripyWitch]

Yeah they will drink it, it's been said, I know. But I just wanted to share the anecdote of the Gastrobury quest: Near the end you have to serve a drink to 4 people, I had to refill the casket three times to do it due to everyone helping themselves. They had plenty of time because the heavy traffic caused my sim to walk in circles trying to get to the NPC. 

[Joria]

I wonder if it's the kind of brew in the casks that causes folks to guzzle it down?  My merchant has two casks out front, but no one seems to drink from them unless I direct them to and she has hipocras in the casks.  The one that gives you the great buff.  Same with my blacksmith.  No one touches the hipocras barrel.  In the castle it's everyone drinking my queen out of the castle and ditto with the Jacoban priest.  His barrel is almost always run dry from others drinking his brew, but he only brews ale or cider and it is the same at the castle.  That drunkard ff is so easy to deal with pretty much all my characters are going to have it now!

[Schipperke]

Joria, that's an interesting tip about hypocras.  None of my sims have ever made it, but now I can't wait to try it, because it gets so frustrating having everybody steal my sims' booze.  I definitely agree with you about the drunkard ff being an easy one to deal with.  Most of my characters are drunks.

[MrGabic]

I wonder if it's the kind of brew in the casks that causes folks to guzzle it down?  My merchant has two casks out front, but no one seems to drink from them unless I direct them to and she has hipocras in the casks.  The one that gives you the great buff.  Same with my blacksmith.  No one touches the hipocras barrel.  In the castle it's everyone drinking my queen out of the castle and ditto with the Jacoban priest.  His barrel is almost always run dry from others drinking his brew, but he only brews ale or cider and it is the same at the castle.  That drunkard ff is so easy to deal with pretty much all my characters are going to have it now!

I agree with Joria my Sims are always better focused after two drinks and I believe the drunkard fatal flaw is actually not at all fatal since it reminds you to drink again for that +20 tipsy buff. Thus thy new kingdom shall be named Drunkardville.